Park Ridge Hospital in Greece was dedicated on Sept. 5, 1975, an occasion marked with drama on one front and sadness on another.

Vice President Nelson Rockefeller was in town and was scheduled to make a number of appearances, including at the dedication.

But an event on the other side of the country would have an impact on the vice president’s visit to Rochester.

That day, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a Charles Manson follower, made an attempt on President Gerald Ford’s life in Sacramento, Calif. While the president emerged from the incident safely, security around Rockefeller naturally tightened.

During the dedication, sharpshooters perched on the hospital’s rooftops while policemen fanned out around the facility’s perimeter, on alert for anything remotely threatening. Police cars, motorcycles and a helicopter were parked on the lot and on the lawn, one news account reported.

Less dramatic, but perhaps more important to many residents, the dedication of Park Ridge also marked the imminent closure of Park Avenue Hospital. Employees there were simultaneously excited about the move to the much more modern hospital and sad about leaving the old facility, which had served as a hospital since 1894.

Park Avenue Hospital worker Terry McMillian told a Democrat and Chronicle reporter that he thought Rockefeller should have come to the old hospital and closed it himself. “Then he could open the new place,” McMillian said.